Eleventh Congress of the R.C.P.(B.)

Written:(See below.)Published:(See below.).Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1971,

      Moscow,Volume 42,

      pages411-413a.Translated:Bernard IsaacsTranscription\Markup:R. CymbalaandD. WaltersPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive

      (2004).You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

March 27-April 2, 1922[1]

Proposal to the Draft Resolution on the Report of the
R.C.P.(B.) Delegation in the Comintern

Thepurpose and sense of the tactics of the united front
consist in drawing more and more masses of the workers into the struggle
against capital, even if it means making repeated offers to the leaders of
the II and II 1/2 Internationals to wage this struggle together. When the
majority of the workers have already established their class, i.e., their
Soviet, and not “general national” (i.e., in common with the bourgeoisie)
representation, and have overthrown the political domination of the
bourgeoisie, then the tactics of the united front, of course, cannot
require co-operation with parties such as that of the Mensheviks (the
“R.S.D.L.P.”) and the S.R.s (the “Party of Socialist-Revolutionaries”)
for these have turned out to be opponents of Soviet power. Influence upon
the working-class masses under Soviet rule has to be extendednotby seeking co-operation with theMensheviks and S.R.s, but in the
manner mentioned

above.[2]

Speech on the Question of Printing Advertisements inPravdaApril 2[3]

Comrades,an almost fatal mistake has occurred here.  I
have risen to a point of order (as the chairman made clear) and not to make
a closing speech. I have taken the floor to ask the congress to waive
standing orders andprocedure. There is a rule that after a decision has been passed there can
be no interference on that question. I ask the congress to give me 4 or 5
minutes in order to oppose the decision that has been wrongly passed here.

WhenI heard that the congress had passed this decision and when I
heard that Comrade Ryazanov had defended it (Ryazanov:“That is
not so.”) All the better—at least one absurd decision has by-passed
Ryazanov. If we were dealing here with an innocent young lady of some
twelve summers, who had learned only yesterday that there was such a thing
in the world as communism, and she would have put on a frilly white frock
with red ribbons and said that Communists were just pure tradesmen—that
would be funny, and we could enjoy a hearty laugh over it, but seriously,
what are we doing? Where willPravdaget the money to make up for
the advertisements we have deprived it of? I ask—how much money doesPravdaneed to keep up withIzvestia? You don’t know? Nor
do I!

Notes at the Congress MeetingApril 2

α) ...Contradictions,abnormality, inconsistency....

β) “greatesttrust” and!!?

1)Groundlessnessof the accusation that the C.C. is persecuting the
formerWorkers’ Opposition

2)refusalto do positive work

3)concentrationon playing at opposition

4)behaviourat metalworkers’ congress

5)dittoafter the congress

6)isthere such a division within the formerWorkers’
Opposition, which makes the Party draw a line between the majority who
are working loyally in the Party, despitedifference in views, and the minority (perhaps even an insignificant one)
who are behaving in a definitely unloyal manner.

[1]TheEleventh Congress of the R.C.P. (B.) was held in Moscow
from March 27 to April 2,1922. It was attended by 522 voting delegates and
164 delegates with a consultative voice.

Theitems on the agenda were:

1) The political report of the Central Committee;

2) The organisational report of the Central Committee;

3) The report of the Auditing Commission;

4) The report of the Central Control Commission;

5) The report of the R.C.P. delegation in the Comintern;

6) The trade unions;

7) The Red Army;

8) Financial policy;

9) Results of the Party purge and the strengthening of the Party’s ranks;
co-reports on work with young people and on the press and propaganda;

10) Elections to the Central Committee and the Central Control
Commission. In addition, the congress set up a commission to prepare the
question of Party work in the countryside for discussion in theAgrarian Section of the Party Congress and for drafting a resolution.

Considerablepreparatory work for the congress was carried out by the
C.C. under Lenin’s direction. The most important documents of the congress
were drafted by Lenin or with Lenin’s help. Lenin opened the congress,
delivered the political report of the C.C., wound up the debate on the
report, spoke about the printing of advertisements inPravda, and
made the closing speech at the congress.

Seealso present edition, Vol. 33, pp. 259-326.

[2]Lenin’swording was incorporated wholly in the resolution of the
Eleventh Congress of the R.C.P.(B.) “On the Report of the
R.C.P. Delegation in the Comintern” adopted on April 2, 1922 (seeThe
C.P.S. U. in the Resolutions and Decisions of Congresses, Conferences and
Plenary Meetings of the Central Committee, Part I, 1954, pp. 601-03).

[3]Duringthe discussion of the resolution “On the Press and Propaganda”
at the Eleventh Congress of the R.C.P.(B.), D. B. Ryazanov moved an
addendum, proposing that advertisements should not be printed in the Party
press. The congress adopted the motion with the amendment that
advertisements were to be forbidden not in the Party press as a whole, but
only inPravda. Lenin was not in attendance at the moment. Upon
hearing of the congress decision he wrote the following note to
L. B. Kamenev who had chaired that session: “Comrade Kamenev, I hear that
the congress has placed a ban on advertisements inPravda? Cannot
this be mended, it’s an obvious mistake?” (Lenin Miscellany XIII,
1930, p. 29). Kamenev did not think the decision could be altered, and
suggested that other ways be found for supportingPravda. However,
after the list of members of the C.C. and the Central Control Commission
elected by the congress had been announced, Lenin took the floor and
proposed that this decision be reversed on the grounds that under the New
Economic Policy it would be incorrect to depend upon appropriations for the
press being made from the gold fund or revenue receipts. His motion was
adopted.

SinceLenin’s speech was taken down in shorthand only partially and
inadequately at that, the version printed in this volume is incomplete.